A FORMER Stock Exchange boss who inflicted devastating injuries on a pensioner when he ploughed his horsebox into him was spared prison on Friday. Jean-Marc Hodgkin, the school bursar at #Bedford Girls Scool, had become embroiled in an argument with Michael Parker, 74, who had stopped on a 30mph road to reverse into his driveway. Mr Parker got out of his Land Rover to remonstrate with Hodgkin through the passenger window of his Mercedes when he drove off with his wheels pointing left without checking where Mr Parker was. The seven-tonne horsebox, which contained three polo ponies, slammed into the pensioner, pinning him against the front of his Land Rover before Hodgkin drove off from the A418 #Aylesbury Road, Bierton, near Aylesbury, #Buckimghamshire, with his daughter Isobel in the car and leaving the OAP laying on the ground. Mr Parker suffered deep cuts, damage to muscles and ligaments and a dislocated knee. He was treated by an ambulance crew and police caught up with Hodgkin a few miles away. During his trial in September, the jury cleared Hodgkin of the more serious charge of causing grievos bodily harm but convicted him of dangerous driving for the incident on September 3 last year. Bespectacled Hodgkin, aged 47 years, was dressed smartly in a white shirt, purple tie and long black coat for his sentencing hearing at #Oxford Crown Court. Parmjit Cheema QC, representing Hodgkin, told Judge Gordon Risius: This matter has been hanging over him and his family for over a year now. He wishes to express, through me, remorse for those few seconds of bad driving that have led to turmoil for him and his family and, more importantly, injury to Mr Parker. During the trial Hodgkin, a father of two, maintained he had not known he had hit Mr Parker with the horsebox and had done so accidentally. Miss Cheema QC said: He always accepted he didnt look in the relevant mirror before he left. If he had checked he wouldve noticed how close the vehicles in fact were and the fact Mr Parker had moved and taken some action. That would have avoided the accident, the injury and his being here today. She reminded Judge Risius that the prosecution had rejected a guilty plea to careless driving and described Hodgkin as a mature, responsible family man. She added that, under the terms of his employment as a bursar at an independent school, a prison or suspended sentence of six months or more could be grounds for dismissal. He has had to give up a long held interest in polo, his daughters have had to give up their horses and the fields they were kept in. This has put a huge strain on the family. Hodgkin had previously played polo regularly at West #Wycombe Park in Bucks. He formerly headed up the London Stock Exchange regulatory news service, which received price-sensitive information and sent it to the market, and has also worked for KPMG. Judge Risius said he was satisfied that neither Hodgkin nor his daughter knew Mr Parker had been injured in the accident. Your driving that day fell far below the standard of a competent and careful driver, he said. The events of that day have had a marked effect on you, because you gave up your horsebox and polo ponies but they have also had an effect on Mr Parker, who was left with injuries from which he is unlikely to ever fully recover and have had a profound effect on his lifestyle. He recognised Hodgkin as a professional man with a responsible job and an impressive background, but added: Whether or not you were impeded more than marginally by Mr Parkers manoeuvre and whatever the nature of the argument that followed, your normal careful driving standards deserted you that day with devastating consequences for Mr Parker. Judge Risius added that while consideration for the impact on his employment was given, sentences could not be dictated by outside consequences. Hodgkin and his wife, sat in the gallery, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years, as well as 100 hours of unpaid work, a 12-month disqualification from driving and 1000 pounds in costs. No compensation was ordered by Judge Risius due to the complexity of the case and because civil proceedings had started. #uk
Posted on: Tue, 03 Dec 2013 17:33:47 +0000
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